Chattanooga AP correspondent laid off

Developing story: a tipster says that the Associated Press has discontinued the employment of Bill Poovey, who has been the state bureau’s sole Chattanooga correspondent.

As of this writing, Poovey’s name is still listed on the AP’s Tennessee staff bios page; however, when I placed a phone call to the bureau number and asked for Poovey, I was told by the person who answered, “he no longer works here.”

A source at the Chattanooga Times Free Press confirmed that today is Poovey’s last day. It is unclear whether the AP will have any type of operations in Chattanooga going forward.

I am awaiting full confirmation of this story, and will update this post with additional details as they are available.